Introduction to The Path Towards American Independence
The victory over France did not strengthen the bond between the colonies in America and the British government; instead, it had the opposite result. The colonies, which had helped to achieve the victory with troops and supplies, felt more self-reliant than ever before. The British government, however, began to assert more control over them.A proclamation issued by Parliament in 1763 forbade the colonists to settle or trade in the former French areas in the West. This measure, designed to reduce conflict between settlers and Indians, angered the colonists. The following year Parliament began to enact various tax measures to cause the colonies to pay the cost of stationing troops in America. These included the Stamp Act of 1765. Under the Quartering Act of 1765, colonists were required to provide quarters for the troops. Restrictions also were placed on colonists' trade. Resentment soon became acute. Emotion-charged incidents occurred, among them the Boston Massacre in 1770 and the Boston Tea Party in 1773.
The War For Independence
The British government adopted stern measures to enforce obedience to its authority, especially in Massachusetts. In 1774, representatives of all the original colonies except Georgia attended a meeting in Philadelphia to consider united action against these measures. This gathering, known as the first Continental Congress, adopted a declaration of rights and grievances and called for halting trade with England unless the grievances were redressed. The declaration did not mention independence.
In 1775 armed clashes occurred between British troops and colonial volunteers, or minutemen, starting with the battles of Lexington and Concord. These clashes in Massachusetts proved to be the start of the American Revolution. Not until 1776, however, was the goal of independence proclaimed—in the Declaration of Independence, written largely by Thomas Jefferson.
The war, in which France helped the revolutionary forces under General George Washington, went on for five more years of active fighting, ending with the British surrender at Yorktown in 1781.
By the Treaty of Paris in 1783, Great Britain recognized the independence of the new United States of America.
Revolutionary War battles: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. This map locates major battles in the Revolutionary War and the routes of the Colonial and British troops. In Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York, Washington and the redcoats fought a seesaw campaign. The patriots lost several battles but kept on fighting.Treaty of Paris. The Treaty of Paris officially ended the Revolutionary War in America in 1783. The United States defeated Britain in this war and won independence. This map shows the 13 original states and the territory the United States gained as a result of the treaty. The new nation extended west from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River, north to Canada, and south to about Florida.